National Competitions (602)

This is what cup games are all about; it certainly was a game of passion and skill in poor weather conditions.

Galston got off to the perfect start by taking a 2-0 lead before Milton got a goal back by josh Bell just before half time.

Both teams came out for the second half and produced a some great football. The Milton defence went to sleep and conceded a third goal to which seemed to spark Milton back into life.

Milton scored two fantastic goals to pull them level and it was game on. With ten minutes to go the goal of the match was scored by Reece Palmer who picked the ball up at the half way line and went on a maestro run and beat the keeper with a unstoppable shot putting Milton in the lead for the first time.

Almost straight from centre Milton pushed forward and got the fifth goal from Owen Foster to kill off any hope of a Galston come back.

Broxburn made the trip up to Abernethy in good spirits, having hired a bus to try and get the boys united in what they expected to be a tough encounter in the Scottish Cup. By this round where the draw opens up to play anyone, they faced the prospect of being paired with a team who we knew nothing about, however fortune had it that we were facing a team who they had played in a charity tournament last year - The Alexis Rose Trust for Meningitis, which meant they had a slight knowledge of our opponents.

The game itself started with both teams hesitant to take control of it, each side taking it in turns to feel each other out with regards to pace up front and at the back. While Broxburn felt they should have been playing much better they found themselves 1 then 2 goals up in quick succession, while the coaches tried and tried to get the message across to the players to settle down and become composed on the ball it never really materialised for the Broxburn side. Even after going 3 up before half time we never seemed to settle the team down from the away side, with Abernethy causing problems on the counter.

Half time: Abernethy YFC 0-3 Broxburn Athletic Colts

At half time Broxburn tried to get the message across to the players that with a little bit of composure and intelligence they could do so much better in the 2nd half hoping that they would take it on board, however the home side had different ideas and were much sharper in the 2nd half - probably after getting a stern telling off from their coaches! Broxburn found themselves getting deeper and being caught on the backfoot more than once which meant players and coaches from the Broxburn side were getting frustrated.

Credit to Abernethy who were pushing players up front and taking risks at the back - something that was noticed by Broxburn, and while they tried to be more attacking by pushing extra players up front to counter Abernethy's efforts Broxburn found themselves open to more and more attacks. The hosts got themselves a goal back midway through the 2nd half which by then meant we were close to having a heart attack if we'd have lost another. Thankfully Broxburn had enough in the locker to see the game out.

On reflection, after going 3 goals up in the first half Broxburn felt they should have went on to win the game comfortably, but tremendous credit should go to Abernethy who were no doubt sent out to win the 2nd half - which they did, and shows a good amount of character of the boys involved from both teams. Post-match the team, officials and spectators of the home side provided some fantastic hospitality for us and made Broxburn feel very welcome throughout and was thoroughly appreciated by all from the visitors!

In what was a strong strong second half showing, Moorlands secure their place in the next round of the Scottish Cup

With overhead conditions difficult, neither side found any real rhythm in the first half and clear-cut chances were at a premium.

Moorlands did get the ball in the home net only for the goal to be disallowed for offside and so the match remained scoreless at half-time.

Three minutes into the second period, the visitors made the breakthrough with a delightful goal. Skipper Mark McNulty strode forward from 25 yards and unleashed a peach of a shot high into the Hotspurs’ net.

Ten minutes later, Moorlands doubled their advantage when centre-back Michael Clarke headed home from a corner.

Dean Robertson then added a third but EK answered shortly afterwards with a superb curling free-kick.

With ten minutes to go however, the tie was sealed as substitute Robbie Stewart pounced on a loose ball to complete the scoring.

Baillieston Juniors travelled to Falkirk on Scottish Cup duty to face Grahamston FC with a depleted squad due to injury and work commitments and were dealt a further blow when midfield playmaker John Dickson had to call off due to illness two hours before kick off leaving them with 11 players .

The game started with baillieston nearly scoring after 2 minutes when McLachlan's shot narrowly past the post after a great pass from Lee Martin.

Chances were few and far between and Baillieston were next to threaten when Paterson headed over the bar from a Dale Dickson corner.

Another Baillieston corner followed and Baillieston's striker Paterson went over on his ankle and needed treatment but Baillieston nearly scored with ten men after a great shot from watson narrowly flashed past the post.

Paterson came back on after treatment but was clearly struggling but was instrumental in Baillieston winning another corner a great Dickson cross was met by Chris Watson who shot from 18 yards through a ruck of players to put baillieston 1 nil up.

Half time: Baillieston Juniors 1-0 Grahamston FC

Baillieston started as they finished the first half and had chances from Brown, Brannigan, Dickson and Black to increase their lead but it was Grahmston who nearly scored but a great save by Baillieston keeper Paul Anderson kept the score at 1 nil.

Baillieston did however score their second through an unlikely source when Paterson who had been struggling badly picked up a pass from Brannigan on the edge of the box beat the Grahmston centre half and chipped the ball past the goalkeeper to put Baillieston 2 nil up.

Ballieston could have increased their lead with 2 minutes to go when Paterson hit the bar and McLauchlan shot past the post when it looked easier to score.a great result for an understrength Baillieston team who had some big displays from Robertson, Watson, Martin, Brannigan , hunter and especially Paterson who although was struggling with injury refused to come off.

The weather did its best to wash and blow everyone away today however it did not stop a cracking cup tie.

The game kicked off in the wind and rain and Mossend quickly took control of the game and Robbie Watson finished off a great move for Mossend with a left footed shot which nestled in the back of the EK goal after only 5 minutes.

Mossend then played some lovely football from back to front and after some concentrated pressure Mossend doubled their lead with a 20 yard shot from Nathan Liddell which swerved one way then another before beating the EK keeper.

EK FC Gold then capitalised on some poor defending by the Mossend defence and scored a close range goal from abut 6 yards out. The game then turned in Mossends favour again with Robbie Watson scoring his second of the game in the last 5 minutes of the first half with another left footed strike.

The second half started in monsoon rain and wind and Mossend continued dominating the game and after some wing play Ciaran Clark scored Mossends fourth of the match.

The tide then turned and EK came into the game and scored a goal from inside the box. Then again another EK goal from outside the box and Mossend were nervy and then EK missed a glorious chance with their striker hitting the other striker when the Mossend keeper was all at sea.

Mossend hung on and had two great chances in the final 5 minutes but could not convert them and the game finished 3-4 in Mossends favour. A great cup tie played in great spirit between 2 teams from the LFDA league

Banchory Boy's ace Sam Smith scored twice as the Boys routed Mannofield to seal their place into the last 32 of the Scottish Cup.

Glen Smith put Mannofield ahead on the 5th minute after slotting the ball past Liam Sadler before Harry Milne equalised for the Boys in Blue after heading in a rebound.

Michael Davies then put Banchory ahead just before half time with a clever side-footed shot from close range past the helpless keeper.

But in the second half, Jordan Gray of the Aberdeen based team managed to make it all square with a fine header from the resulting corner. However Cammy Booth managed to retain the Blues lead after a fantastic 25 yard strike, making it 3-2. That was followed by a header from number 7 which then took the game into extra time.

However, Mannofield's resilience didn't last much longer as Sam Smith struck twice, one from a tap from close range, then finishing the game off by successfully scoring from a 1 on 1 situation.

It was the first time this season that a Scottish Youth Cup game had to go into extra time to decide the winner, which wasn't a surprise considering both Neil Findlay and PJ Doherty fielded their strongest starting 11 and the fact that these teams are first and second in the Murray Cup Section 1 Group respectively.

Despite winning their last 3 games, Mannofield just didn't have what it took to over come a determined and effective Banchory team.

The hosts' cause was not helped by the referee's decision to play on as striker Sam Smith was deemed to have been clearly fouled by the Mannofield Defence.

And, despite the early threat of Sam Smith and Cameron Buchan, the writing was on the wall from the moment Glen Smith opened the proceedings by slotting the ball home.

Banchory Boys were level minutes later, Harry Milne lashing the ball into the net from close range. However, Mannofield's youthful pace and endeavour continued to cause all sorts of problems but it was Banchory's turn to be in the driving seat.

And on the 30th minute Michael Davies ran onto a knock on by Sam Smith and carefully passed the ball into the net beyond the standing Ryan Albin.

Immediately afterwards, the number 1 goal keeper had to be replaced by Mayon Patel due to an injury which was caused by an off-the-ball incident with one of the Banchory attackers.

Afterwards Jordan Gray made it 2-2 after capping off a corner with a powerful header.

A resolute start to the second half from the hosts paid off as James Flaherty worked space and then laid the ball off to Cammy Booth who lashed the ball into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-2.

No sooner had the home crowd and Neil Findlay discovered satisfaction, but number 7 managed to equalise after heading the ball from yet again another corner to make it 3-3.

The score remained 3-3, but to PJ Doherty's sigh of relief, Hamish Tubby skied a penalty for the hosts.

Despite players tiring in extra time, the goals still rolled through, well for the hosts anyway. The ball found its way to the unmarked Sam Smith from a corner who then cooly slots the ball into the net. Again he managed to find the net as James Flaherty passed the ball past the keeper to Sam himself to tap the ball in to kill the game off.

Despite the result, PJ Doherty can be proud of his men for having the character to bounce back not once but twice when the odds were against them. But a resilient and hard working Banchory were the victors in this pulsating clash.

Milngavie Wanderers took another step on the road to Airdrie with a comfortable Scottish Cup victory in a rain-soaked Paisley over Callander Thistle. Full back Rory McInnes returned from a 2 week absence with a bang, scoring a fine hat-trick while there was a goal each from Bailey Williams, Joe Slee and Duncan Nicolson while only a great display from the visiting goalkeeper prevented this from being an even more comprehensive win.

Wanderers didn't start with too much fluency in their game but they still came flying out the traps and tested the keeper after only 3 minutes. Good play down the left between Scott Hutton and Bailey Williams eventually found Kalvin Warren on the edge of the box and his effort was tipped over before the opening goal came just a minute later when Wiliams rifled it high past the keeper at his near post.

They weren't ahead for long though as Thistle levelled only 60 seconds later. With Warren down injured for the hosts, neither team put the ball out of play and Milngavie were guilty of ball watching as a lofted through ball was volleyed over Ross Fisher and into the net.

The next ten minutes was a relentless onslaught towards the Callander goal: Joe Slee and Nathan Carmichael both drove wide from distance and Alberto Vezza had an effort held before they regained their lead, Slee skipping past two players before thumping it home over the keeper from all of 25 yards.

Wanderers were in the ascendancy and had plenty of possession but were struggling to turn it into genuine chances. Rory McInnes, after a slow start, began to seize the game from right back, first putting a superb ball onto the head of Kalvin Warren who headed wide before he was felled in the box at the end of a superb run forward, prompting the referee to point to the spot.

The penalty was a poor one from Slee however as the keeper saved to his left before Warren rattled the rebound off the frame of the goal. McInnes was to have the last say in a drab first half however with a touch of sheer class on 38 minutes, running onto a lay off from Alberto Vezza and sending a sumptuous strike in off the cross bar from the best part of 30 yards to double his side's lead going into the break.

Half time: Milngavie Wanderers 3-1 Callander Thistle

McInnes started the second half the way he ended the first and he tried his luck again three minutes after the restart, fizzing in a shot from distance that was parried away by the legs of the keeper. Half time sub James Logan then went on a good run down the right and picked out Kyle Campbell at the back post but his effort couldn't find a way in.

It was 4-1 after fifty minutes with a move started and finished by McInnes: he played the ball inside to Duncan Nicolson and continued his run before collecting a return pass from Jack Carson in the box, taking a touch and calmly slotting past the keeper.

The next fifteen minutes or so was all about the Callander Thistle keeper who single-handedly kept the scoreline down in a match where his opposite number Ross Fisher would be forgiven for dozing off such was the lack of action in the Milngavie half. He made a great block from Carson's powerful header and parried away a fierce drive from Logan. Alberto Vezza beat him once as he skilfully skipped past him but the angle was too tight and it came off the post before a bit of a personal duel materialised between the Milngavie number 9 and the Callander number 1: time and time again, the keeper thwarted Vezza in a frantic 90 second spell which saw him denied at least 3 times before showing great determinaton to win the ball back to try again, but each time to no avail.

The keeper's resolve was finally broken though on 67 minutes as Duncan Nicolson fired past him at his near post for 5-1 before Rory McInnes rounded off his hat-trick and Milngavie's scoring five minutes later, side-footing a first time effort into the top corner from the edge of the box after Joe Slee's pull back.

Full time: Milngavie Wanderers 6-1 Callander Thistle

Milngavie Scorers: McInnes x 3, Williams, Slee, Nicolson

Man of the Match: Rory McInnes – Recovered from a slow start to utterly dominate the right hand side of the park. Three wonderful goals with the first definitely one for the scrapbook. All after missing two games while on holiday – none too shabby

Saturday see's Leith Athletic's Under 21's travel to Lennoxtown to take on last seasons Scottish Cup winners and finalists for the last three seasons, Campsie Black Watch (pictured right, with last year's trophy). Campsie recently celebrated their 70th Anniversary and boast numerous records in the West of Scotland U21's League which shows the stature of club we are facing at the weekend.

Managers' Comments:

It's only been 3 weeks since we beat Tynecastle in the last round where our players were excellent that day and they continued that form the week after beating Rosyth 6-1 in the South East Region Cup. We seen ourselves take a 4-0 lead in the 1st 35 minutes through Liam, Keith, Steven and Connor. We decided to take a few players off and give others a chance and although we conceded, we scored another 2 goals courtesy of Stephen Baigan.

Training this week has been intense but we have tried to be relaxed with the odd joke with regards to Bryan mentioning his "2009 final win vs this weeks opponents". As we try to prepare our guys for Campsie, the players have taken onboard what we've told them and I hope we can transfer that attitude and concentration in to the game itself,.

Selection wise we have Adam Hunter and Matthew Watson who miss out through long term injuries, We welcomed back Sean MacPherson to training last week, 'Macca' is a quality player who is very attack minded and he will be an asset to the squad, this game has probably came too soon for him and won't be risked. We still travel to Campsie with 18 players and although we will have a few unhappy about not being able to take part, this is the first cup game we have in the next 3 weeks so everyone has a part to play in the team in the coming weeks.

We managed to watch Campsie on two different occasions, we sent Bryan to watch them two weeks ago and Graham and I travelled through to Glasgow last Saturday, so we know what stands in our way, there's no doubt that to majority of people, we are the underdogs in this fixture. Preparation wise, the team know what is expected of them and we can't afford to be naive in terms of our opponents, you can tell from training and speaking to them that it means a lot to them and the confidence they have gathered in the last few weeks is good to see and as a coaching team we are proud of every one of them, The Scottish Cup is a big deal in juvenile football and for the majority (if not all) this will be our last chance to challenge for the Scottish Cup at this level, I know these players will give their all!"

More...

Following the weekend of Round 3 ties (click here for results), the U20 SFA Youth Cup fourth fourth draw has been made for the SFA Youth Cup. Eighteen teams remain, with third round matches still to be contested between Formartine United & Arbroath and Celtic & Stenhousemuir.

Remaining in contention are the youth outfits of seven SFPL Premiership clubs, ten SFPL lower league clubs and Formartine United representing the Highland Football League.

The Scottish Youth FA have drawn the third round of the Trans World Soccer SYFA Challenge Cup for 2013/14. Games will be played the weekend of the 26/27th October 2013. You can access the draw by clicking on the links below:

Blantyre recorded another Scottish Cup victory with a dramatic 3-2 win over Jimmy Johnstone Academy Under 15s. Having gone 2 goals down within 15 minutes, this was an uphill battle for the home side, who are unbeaten in an impressive start to their season.

It took some time for the Yellows to adjust to the visitors' flexible use of an extra man in midfield and it was this numerical advantage in the centre that resulted in the first goal. The whites over-ran the midfield and shot past Jason in the Blantyre goal. A disappointing start which was to get even worse just minutes later when Jimmy Johnstone Academy struck again after some hesitancy at the back from the Boys' Club. Blantyre 0 - 2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy.

The visitors looked strong and determined to win as Blantyre struggled to find a shape that suited the opposition. The 2nd goal acted as a sharp kick in the tail, though, and the ever able Luke "Funky" McKibbin marked the drifting number 4 for the Academy, whose flexible role in the team was causing the home side so many problems. This gained Blantyre more control on the game and resulted in periods of sustained pressure. This paid off when Lee Brown fired home to bring his side right back into the game. Blantyre 1 - 2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy.

The rest of the half was dominated by Blantyre, with the midfield finally gaining control of the match. Michael McGinty was a constant menace on the left and Robbie worked extremely hard to control the right flank. James O'Donnelly and Callum Munro were now dominating the middle in a way they had struggled to do in the early minutes of the game and were now central to the Yellows dictating play. The back 4 were now looking solid, Reiss Mulvanney and Ryan McGuinness impressive in the centre with Luke McPartlane and Dylan McStravock assured at full back.

It was the impressive Lee who, again, was to find the net to deservedly take the home team level with 10 minutes remaining of the first half. Blantyre 2 - 2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy. The dominance continued as the visitors struggled to come to terms with what was happening. Blantyre continued to create chances and could have snatched another couple of goals. The half time whistle was as much a disappointment to Blantyre as it was a relief to the Academy.

Half time: Blantyre BC 2-2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy

The second half was a real contest of determination, heart and desire to win. Both sides emerged from the changing rooms with a place in the next round on their radars, making the remainder of the game a tense and competitive affair. Chances were created at both ends, with the home side having the more clear cut opportunities. Most notable were Lee's chance that clipped the bar and Ryan's "10 bob heid" header from James' corner. Lee did put the Yellows ahead midway through the second half to complete his hat trick and to finish the scoring. Blantyre 3 - 2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy.

The game continued to be hard fought, but concluded to great rejoicing after 6 minutes of stoppage time.

Full time: Blantyre BC 3-2 Jimmy Johnstone Academy

Jimmy Johnstone Academy are an impressive side who must have felt they had the job done after only 10 minutes of their trip to Blantyre, however, that did not take account of the fighting spirit of the Boys Club who do not ever accept defeat. Lesser sides would have folded after losing two early goals to a side as strong as Jinky's Academy. Blantyre Boys Club did not and confidently await the draw for the next round of the national cup competition.